The Orden Pour le Mérite, often called the “Blue Max,” was the highest military award in the Kingdom of Prussia during WWI. German pilots who scored 20 or more aerial victories were usually awarded with it. Most people remember that the first ones to receive it were German fighter aces Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke. But the last person to receive it in WWI was Carl Degelow. Born on January 5, 1891, in Munsterdorf, Germany, Degelow joined the infantry and served well in France and Russia when the war started. In 1916, Carl Degelow joined the German Air Service and began flying artillery-spotting missions in an Albatros two-seater.
Ace Journey of Carl Degelow
Carl Degelow was first assigned to Flieger-Abteilung (Artillery) 216 as an artillery spotter starting in early 1917. On May 22, 1917, he claimed to have shot down a French Caudron G.IV, but this was not confirmed. Three days later, he shot down another Caudron as his first official victory. In August 1917, Carl Degelow was moved to the Prussian Jagdstaffel 36 for training to fly Pfalz D.III fighters. However, he stayed less than four days. During training, he accidentally injured a fellow unit member. Because of this, he was quickly reassigned on August 17 to Prussian Jagdstaffel 7, where he also flew a Pfalz D.III. Flying in Jagdstaffel 7, his initial three victories were not officially confirmed because the planes he shot landed on the Allied side of the front lines. According to German rules, these wins could not be counted as confirmed aerial victories. His second confirmed victory came on January 25, 1918, followed by his third in April and fourth in May. He was then transferred to Jasta 40 and became its commanding officer on July 11, 1918. He flew a Fokker D.VII in this squadron. On June 18, 1918, he officially became an ace after shooting down an S.E.5a. Carl Degelow scored two more victories in June, followed by six in July. On August 9, he received the Knight’s Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. In September, he scored six victories, followed by 10 in October, and his last on November 4, bringing his WWI score to 30.
The Legacy
Carl Degelow was the last German pilot and the final German serviceman to receive the Blue Max on November 9, 1918. It was the same day the Kaiser stepped down and two days before the war ended. The Kaiser’s abdication ended Imperial orders and awards, such as the Blue Max. Degelow also received the Iron Cross, both 1st and 2nd class. Right after the war, Degelow helped create the Hamburger Zeitfreiwilligen Korps to fight against communists in Germany. In 1920, he wrote his war memoirs titled With the White Stag Through Thick and Thin. These memoirs were published in English in 1979 under the title Germany’s Last Knight of the Air by Peter Kilduff, who added additional commentary. In the early days of the Nazi regime, he was jailed for a few days because Carl Degelow did not give the Nazi salute during a parade. After someone recognized the Pour le Mérite medal on his uniform, he was released. When WWII started, he held the rank of Hauptmann (captain). Degelow then served as a Major in the Luftwaffe during the war. He died in Hamburg, Germany, on November 9, 1970. In the Aces series, Carl Degelow was the last person to be called a Blue Max for his piloting skills and bravery. Read stories about more Aces HERE.
